In the West Midlands Labour won two seats with 330,470 and the Tories got two with 330,470.

The Liberal Democrats lost their only MEP – along with all but one in the country – while two former UKIP MEPs, Mike Nattrass and Nikki Sinclaire, failed to hold the seats they were trying to win as independents with new parties they set up themselves.

Nationally, the Liberal Democrats were the biggest losers as Nick Clegg paid the price for his gamble to position the party as the natural opponents to UKIP’s Euroscepticism.

Mr Farage claimed victory, saying: “UKIP is going to win this election and, yes, that will be an earthquake because never before in the history of British politics has a party that will be seen to be an insurgent party ever topped the polls in a national election.”

In his acceptance speech after topping the poll in the South East , Mr Farage said: “The people’s army of UKIP have spoken and have delivered just about the most extraordinary result in British politics for 100 years.”

He said the party ‘bit very hard’ into the Labour vote in the north, almost topped the poll in Wales, gained a seat in Scotland and ‘we are genuinely a UK Independence Party’.

“You have not heard the last of us,” he said.

The Prime Minister’s party came third in many areas with UKIP topping the polls in areas with Tory MPs such as South Staffordshire, Stafford, Lichfield and Cannock Chase.

The party also did well in Walsall and Dudley, where it gained councillors on Thursday. But Labour won more votes in cities like Birmingham, Coventry and Wolverhampton as well as in Sandwell. Jill Seymour, one of three new UKIP MEPs and a parish councillor in Shropshire, said: “Quite simply the British public is fed up of the same old rhetoric and spin. They are fed up of the same old repetitive lines from the Lib Lab Con.”

Conservative MEP Philip Bradbourn, who kept his seat, said: “They are a force to be reckoned with and we have to acknowledge that. We all do. They don’t just take votes from the Conservatives.

“There are a number of different factors, not least people feeling disaffected with politics.

“Over the past five years the things I have been working on have included preventing legislation coming through that would have had an adverse effect on business.

“There was going to be a law that would have cost hauliers £5,000 for every vehicle to fit equipment that was not necessary.” And Sion Simon, one of two Labour MEPs, elected this morning, said: “I haven’t stood for election because I’m interested in the European Parliament. I stood because I’m passionate about the West Midlands.

“We have three per cent fewer people employed than the rest of the country.

“This is about jobs, growth and investment.

“It’s about the economy and how a powerful institution can make a difference to people’s lives.”

Bill Etheridge, aged 44, also won a seat on Dudley Council in the local elections on Thursday, representing Sedgley.

He said he would do both jobs. “I won’t be spending all my time in Brussels. I’m going to be based in Sedgley,” he said.

“We’ve taken votes off everyone. People haven’t just lent us their vote. I hope they will continue to see that we are different to the mainstream parties that have let them down. We’ve won a surge in support, not just from the Tories but in Labour areas too,” he said.

James Carver is a new West Midlands UKIP MEP and Labour’s Neena Gill returns to Brussels five years after losing her seat. She said: “There have been some tremors. I’m not sure it was an earthquake. UKIP did better than many smaller parties have previously

“But people are struggling to make ends meet and find jobs. It’s very easy in the circumstances to say that’s someone’s fault and look for someone to blame. UKIP tapped into that discontent and exploited it.” Conservative Anthea McIntyre, who kept her seat, said: “UKIP winning seats damages the UK because they don’t speak for Britain. The Conservatives, Labour and Lib Dems do all they can but UKIP doesn’t.”

The list of West Midlands winners is:

Jill Seymour (UKIP)

Neena Gill (Labour)

Philip Bradbourn (Conservative)

Jim Carver (UKIP)

Sion Simon (Labour)

Anthea McIntyre (Conservative)

Bill Etheridge (UKIP)

Labour topped the poll in Birmingham, with UKIP coming second. In Telford and Wrekin it was the other way around. The Tories were third in both areas. In Cannock Chase UKIP won, with Labour in second and the Conservatives third. The Liberal Democrats came fourth with 710 votes. In Lichfield, normally a safe Conservative seat, UKIP also came first, beating the Tories 8,975 to 8,182. The same happened in solidly Conservative South Staffordshire, with UKIP gaining 11,076 votes to the Conservatives' 8,990. UKIP also won in Stafford, Shropshire and Wyre Forest, pushing the Tories into second place.

Labour comfortably won in Sandwell with 30,991 votes to UKIP's 20,776 and also topped poll in Wolverhampton.

Independent MEP Nikki Sinclaire conceded defeat at 10pm, before the results were announced. The 46-year-old was originally an MEP for UKIP in 2009 but left the party in a row over its grouping with 'extreme right wing' parties in the Brussels Parliament.

In a statement Miss Sinclaire said: "My supporters will be disappointed, and naturally I am too.

"It has been an honour and a pleasure to represent 5.2 million constituents over the past five years. I have met thousands of people in my role, getting involved in community projects and giving a voice to the voiceless, and lending an ear when others simply wouldn't listen.

"I'm also proud of the campaign we ran here in the West Midlands, far larger than anybody had ever seen before, and many thanks to those who spent time talking to me and the team on the campaign trail.

"More importantly, thank you to everybody who took the time to vote for me on Thursday and for those who have stood by me."

The Tories were defending three seats and retained two. Philip Bradbourn and Anthea McIntyre were re-elected while Dan Dalton failed to replace retiring MEP Malcolm Harbour. Labour improved upon the one member Ed Miliband's party had in the West Midlands. Michael Cashman is retiring and former MEP Neena Gill won her bid to return to Brussels five years after losing her seat. Former Erdington MP Sion Simon also successfully stood for Labour but former Stourbridge MP Lynda Waltho missed. The Liberal Democrats lost their only West Midlands seat, held by Phil Bennion. UKIP won two in 2009 but its MEPs Mike Nattrass and Miss Sinclaire had both since quit the party and formed their own Eurosceptic groups. They are each trying to defend their seats tonight.

But UKIP has replaced them as candidates with Shropshire-based Jill Seymour, a parish councillor in Kynnersley, Telford, and umbrella maker James Carver. New Dudley councillor Bill Etheridge, elected to Sedgley on Thursday, won the third seat for UKIP.

No European was country allowed to reveal anything until after polls have closed across the continent. Italy was still voting today so counts had to wait until polling stations there have been shut.

Turnout across the West Midlands was just over 33 per cent with less than 1.4m people voting out of an electorate of 4.1m.

Political Editor Daniel Wainwright tweeted from the count as it happened

funny old world

P J

May 26, 2014 12:37 pm

What i find fascinating and amazing is how every single Brit, including immigrants now living here sides with one party blaming the other for the faults, labour is blamed for the bank collapse, did they make it happen all over the world??? conservatives are blamed for lack of jobs, yeah well maybe lol. Lib dems, well less said about them the better, the truth is it is political brain washing and every single party and every single MP or MEP is exactly the same no matter what party they are in. They are only interested in one thing and that is themselves, big houses vast salaries and keeping their own companies at the top. I think it's about time someone came along and rocked the boat, Well done to UKIP for that, i don't believe in your policies but you are now a VERY REAL threat to the 3 main ruling parties, maybe now they will listen to what the people who voted them in really want.

Margaret Hamilton

May 26, 2014 4:51 pm

Huh? I don't see Labour in the EU parliament sitting there and thieving their money without doing any work, nor do I see them in Westminster being vile to people like the lot we have now. Labour are just a bunch of Thatcher clones these days. I suggest that you don't appreciate how far to the right things have gone in the last 35 years. Ted Heath wouldn't even make it into the Liberal Democrats today.

funny old world

charlie.bear.5836

May 26, 2014 10:12 am

Because it's the first time that those opposed to foreign rule have been given a voice. After years of being patronised and ridiculed on Europe, immigration, multi-culturalism and other trendy fads foisted on them by the ruling liberal elites people are taking a chance to say stop.

I see the Germans have elected an NDP candidate, Denmark has swung to the right, besides France, even you must be able to notice this and identify the reasons.

Are you still planning on emigrating, the socialsit utopia of Venezuela may suit you?

Cyril

May 27, 2014 10:22 am

Mac, they can influence some of the worst EU rulings from there, keep the quango shower under surveillance and tell us what the sods are up to. It's a start and could lead to bigger things. Like a referendum !

Hit him on the tail

May 26, 2014 11:03 am

It boils down to Blair and Brown allowing every man and his dog into the U.K. Also Cameron and Clegg. The main " big three parties " are out of touch with the electorate and basically have made broken promises for too many years now.

mark.s.jones.5

May 26, 2014 11:06 am

I shall just be glad when we can put an end to this fanciful absurdity of EU elections and enjoyed by the few at the expense of the many, and when we pull out of the EU the Labour party will feel the pinch, as they wont be able to play the race card and campaign for the immigrant vote with sweeteners like reduced residency from 2yrs to 4wks for council housing as is the rule in Wolverhampton

Margaret Hamilton

May 26, 2014 4:46 pm

Graham, it's very odd to me that the party that bleats the most about democracy is the very party that is effectively denying the voters their democratic rights! Sitting there doing nothing and taking the money? If they were "dole scroungers" or "lazy immigrants" they would be the talk of the land. While the European parliament exists, and while we have democratically elected representatives there they should be working on our behalf. The European Union is the only entity today which looks after worker's rights. Why no workers rights and poverty wages are considered a good thing in days like these I shall never understand.

Margaret Hamilton

May 26, 2014 4:39 pm

I look forward to being made to work 72 hour weeks again, having my holiday allowance cut by 50%, the NHS being sold off, having to survive another 10 years with no pension, hand-gun training and ownership, big business standing on my windpipe whilst I grovel in the gutter for more crumbs, no more international trade, being gassed in the pub by smokers again, even more age discrimination in the workplace and the poverty wages that go with it, the odd war around Europe, having no human rights and being tortured, not having any legal representation at all, all the women in my family having to have a hysterectomy so that they can get a job, pressing my children's army uniforms, not being able to visit neighbouring countries even if I could afford it, all the money saved by th leaving the EU NOT being spent on any public services, hospitals or schools, my house blowing up or cracking in half because it's been fracked, no consumer rights, no health and safety, Romanians wearing gold stars on their clothes so that we can avoid them in the town, being attacked in the street because of my views, a return to the stone age with more cuts and austerity, 24 hour expensive drivel on TV because the licence fee has been scrapped, forced labour for the unfortunate unemployed, Paul Sykes in the House of Lords, Neil B****y Hamilton, more links with European fascists, and even more farage on TV. You've been had.

funny old world

charlie17

May 27, 2014 12:06 am

Well Margaret you really have surpassed yourself this time. I would suggest that you stop reading and playing science fiction books and games also listening to Unite. The result of this election brought out a claim by one analyst that the reason UKIP had not done so well in London was because Londoners were better educated and more intelligent that the rest of the country. Remember that is where the Government of this country is and that is what they think of us. It is time for a change.

Cyril

May 27, 2014 10:31 am

Jeez Margaret, you are in a state. I've lived through far more years than you have and even in the 30s it wasn't QUITE that bad. OK they did a 48 hour week in foundries, they smoked in pubs and everywhere else, had only 1 week's holiday (with or without pay back then), but they were nowhere near as miserable as you !

Margaret Hamilton

May 27, 2014 6:43 pm

Typical UKIP bigots! Play the woman and not the ball. It's always personal attacks with you lot isn't it? Look at yourselves, don't you see why more rational people see UKIP supporters as such bigots? Not a single sensible comment from any of you, just attack the individual. All the points in my letter above refer to the other polices of UKIP, you are either foaming at the mouth too much about Johnny Foreigner to notice or you are ignoring them.

charlie.bear.5836

snoopy

May 26, 2014 11:35 pm

Cameron commented farage was not a proper bloke who goes down the pub, Well cameron you never go down the pub because a bloke who goes down the pub will listen to you, You dont even listen to the people who voted you in, The men and women of this country battled in two world wars to stop this country being invaded, Now weve got everyone invading it, Two pointless wars thats these guys and gals sacrificed there lives for, I would just like to say good bye to all three main partys, Your all about as usefull as an ashtray an motorbike,,,,,,,,Bring it on ukip, I want my country back!

Cyril

May 27, 2014 10:51 am

Mac, I lived through that 2nd World War and I can assure you we were united against Fascism. BUT, had the Armed Forces known that in less than 30 years our country would be handed over to the EU without a shot being fired, they may well have laid down their arms.

Just how do you reconcile your mind with The Common Market becoming the EU ? We had never even heard of the EU when we voted for The Common Market. I was one of the voters duped by this obscene ploy and have never, nor will I ever, forgive the perpetrators. With the accent being on TRAITORS !